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LEFT PARTY MAKES COMEBACK IN GERMAN ELECTION  
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Marcel Fürstenau
February 23, 2025
DW
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_ Early projections say Germany's socialist Left Party has managed to
get reelected into the Bundestag, with a historically high result.
This comes after a successful election campaign. _

The Left Party's Heidi Reichinnek and Jan van Aken spearheaded their
party's success, Carsten Koall

 

Early projections put the socialist Left Party at over 8%, nearly
twice as much as they garnered in the last election in 2021, when they
won only 4.9% of the vote.

Last year was a political nightmare for the Left Party: In
January 2024, their former parliamentary group leader, Sahra
Wagenknecht, founded her own eponymous party, then they saw
their European Union representation
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just 2.7%. The 2024 state elections
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also a disaster, with the party losing its traditional foothold in
eastern Germany. Their only state premier failed to hang on in
Thuringia, while the party barely made it into Saxony's state
parliament and was kicked out of Brandenburg entirely.

Little wonder that few believed that the Left Party, known as _Die
Linke_ in German, would have much success in the
parliamentary elections on February 23
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An emotional moment from Germany's Left Party leading candidate Heidi
Reichinnek. The Left Party is projected to take over 8% according to
early results, an exceptional comeback for a party that had polled
below the 5% threshold for months. pic.twitter.com/3v5Ds2E6z0
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— DW Politics (@dw_politics) February 23, 2025
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Renegade offshoot loses steam

During the last weeks of the campaign it looked increasingly likely
that the Left Party could clear the 5% hurdle needed to enter the
Bundestag as the renegade Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW)
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The shift is likely due to a change in party leadership last October,
with Jan van Aken
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replacing Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan, who were unable to
halt the party's steady loss in support.

The Left Party's new leadership could be helping to turn around the
party's fortunesImage: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa/picture alliance

The duo had only been in office a few weeks when Chancellor Olaf
Scholz [[link removed]]'s
governing coalition collapsed
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forcing a vote of no confidence that saw him call for an early
election. Without their now estranged coalition partner, the
neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)
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center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD)
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the environmentalist Green Party
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to form a majority in the Bundestag
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Fierce criticism of the SPD and Greens

In the wake of the government collapse last November, the Left Party
quickly presented an election program focused on social and economic
policy, which was adopted at its party conference in January. They
accuse the SPD and Greens of having done nothing to combat the
mounting affordability crisis in recent years.

"People realize that the Left Party is credibly fighting for social
issues, that no one else is doing it, that we are the only ones taking
on the rich," party co-leader Ines Schwerdtner told DW.

To reduce poverty, she has proposed abolishing the value-added tax on
basic foodstuffs, hygiene products and public transport tickets.
Currently, up to 19% VAT is charged on these items — almost a fifth
of what consumers pay at the register.

Wealth tax to combat inequality

To finance these plans, the party wants to increase state revenue with
a graduated wealth tax: 1% for people in possession of €1 million,
5% from €50 million and 12% from €1 billion.

"Millions of hard-working people have created this extreme
wealth," party co-leader Jan van Aken told conference-goers, adding
there was enough money to go around, it is just being misallocated.
"We have to get it back so that we can all live well again." 

To allow Germany to borrow more again, the Left Party also wants to
reform the debt brake enshrined in the constitution. Loosened from the
constraints of the debt break, the party would spend an additional
€200 billion on the modernization of crumbling infrastructure.
Financially ailing companies would also receive state support in
exchange for long-term job guarantees and collective agreements, in
addition to agreeing to keep their locations in Germany.

Clear stance against the far right

The party regards the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)
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main opponent in the Bundestag elections.

"Not an inch for the fascists," van Aken said at the
recent convention in Berlin. "We on the left always oppose attempts
to divide our society and incitement against migrants."

A former United Nations biological weapons inspector, van Aken also
addressed Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine
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violation of international law.

"We on the left are against all war and stand for peace," he
said but made a distinction between militarization and other
potential routes to end the conflict. "We need more diplomacy in
Ukraine, not more weapons. Without freedom and democracy in Ukraine,
there will be no peace."

_MARCEL FÜRSTENAU
[[link removed]] is a
Berlin author and reporter on current politics and society._

_DW is Germany's international broadcaster with content in 32
languages and one of the most successful and relevant international
media outlets.  _

* elections
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* Germany
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